I am back from seeing the film Elizabethtown. It is a montage. A long montage, which is bad. It’s a bad, bad film that I tried to have some moments with, but it didn’t work out between us.

And I didn’t get much for my eleven dollars.

Well, I got to sit in the dark by myself in my favorite theater so I could curl up in the seats and lounge and do whatever just like I like to do without anyone fussing or looking or wondering. Not that I mind when they do, but still.

I was trying to celebrate, really. The book writing is all tied up and it’s at the printers. This weekend was brutal. M.Sto and I were working 16-hour days punting work back and forth from coast to coast. I think she’s coming down with something.

So I went to a movie at 11:00 PM. Hadn’t been in a while.

Got more out of the five-minute drive home in the car with the radio on. Then I came up the elevator from the garage to drop my rent check off in the rent check drop slot at the manager’s office, which happens to be right between the elevator and stairs.

I live on the top floor.

I usually take the stairs.

But they’re dark, so maybe not at night, even though the building is secure.

Elevator or stairs?

Stairs.

Stopped at the courtyard level on the way up. One of the fountains was still on, the other turns off at 12:00 AM exactly, then comes back on at 4:45 AM exactly, then turns off again at 5:00 AM exactly, then comes back on shortly after 8:00 AM, but usually I’m asleep then, so I never have marked the time exactly.

Of course this week I’ve been up at 4:00 AM PT to work on stuff with M.Sto. Then she takes my notes, does her bit and I sleep for a while until she’s done.

I don’t mind though. When you love something, getting up isn't hard.

Like a book.

Like a dream.

So I stopped at the courtyard level where the fountain by the balcony that overlooks the city under the palm trees was still on and, hey, LA has some stars.

Although, it’s not like Virginia.

Or Death Valley.

Or Cape Hatteras, which was the first place I saw purple in the night sky.

But there were some stars. Hadn’t seen those in a while.

Hadn’t left my flat in three days.

And I don’t miss those places anyway.

Mostly because I don’t think I belong anywhere, really. That doesn’t bother me.

If you are reading this, my writing, then I will give you the same due credit I give every audience member and assume that you have at least a functional reading comprehension, if not one higher than my own.

I have learned that, cliché-ly, this is not true of most people making development and other production decisions in Hollywood. Or, especially, of many managers and agents. Even the literary ones.

Here is my note to them,

I will not suffer fools, fools.

In other intergalactic news, I have my secondary school evaluations here and, look at this, it says I’m in the 99th percentile for reading comprehension. If it could, it would also say that I can throw any object further than you, but they don’t record that on the first page and I lost the second, “special powers” page in a street fight.

I will not list my math scores. I will say, however, that I got rather excited about one term in which there was an "A" listed next to Math only to find that it was C.Sto’s.

Otherwise, you should know that my creative/humanities teachers say this about me: “a joy to have in class,” “contributes often,” “grasps new ideas readily,” “has a swift imagination/good creativity” and “fabulous job.” They also say “enjoy your summer,” “good luck next year” and “limit your talking,” but that’s not nearly as impressive. Oh wait, no, no, that last one is… C.Sto’s. And it’s from Physical Education. (Good one, future President.) Anyway, she had straight As that term, so I suppose I should shut up—

Especially since I now see “does not work to potential” under Advanced Algebra with Trigonometry, but who’s counting? Certainly not me.

Hey, it’s not like I’m not trying to head up some… Trigonometry factory.

Pride & Prejudice is a movie for girls who like England, know things about proper conversation and can perhaps curtsy the proper, nodding way. They know what the full moon in the clear sky is for, and what a gazebo might be about and that ribbons can change the world but don’t matter that much, either. It is giggles and society and about sinking your teeth into a life and a voice that is so rare in visual stories and the fact that the English countryside truly is beautiful. As is the rain.

It’s for sisters and families,
For society,
For friends.

For everyone who does not want to get married,
Or who does,
Or who’s scared not to.

For girls who know what a ball really is about, and make it what they will, and girls who are too modest, maybe too plain.

I first read Pride & Prejudice early on in secondary school and only because it was required summer reading. I looked over my stack of books... I had waited until the last week of August, but I wasn’t worried; I do love to read and am rather good at it when the occasion calls. There was the list:

Beloved
Their Eyes Were Watching God
Jane Eyre
Pride & PrejudiceA classic or modern novel of your choice (I choose The English Patient)

I read P&P first; it had the most boring title and cover, and I figured that I should get it over with.

I did my summer paper on Beloved because I was interested in the use of different colors in the novel, and that was a choice of topic.

But, mostly, because I loved Pride & Prejudice too much to write an analytical paper about the story.

After Pride & Prejudice, I read other society novels. Jane Eyre was depressing, Anna Karenina was great but not as fun, Vanity Fair had nothing on the novel nor did the film have anything on this film.

Pride & Prejudice is the best society novel I have read.

And I’ve read it twice.

The second time, (not too long after the first), I did the job episodically while curled up in my favorite corner loveseat at Mondrian. I was in LA to shoot J’s Crush or the like. I had no friends there. I spent my down time at the hotel with Eliza, the Bennets and Mr. Darcy and it was all perfect.

Yes, it is the best society novel.

Yes, this is one of those rare cases where the movie improves upon the book.

Which means new cool stuff is coming. And I know you like new cool stuff. I also know that you like when people tell you to “stay tuned” because that means the “new cool stuff” is “coming your way.” So I know you like everything I’m saying now. And that you won’t forget me.

Here is a list of stuff:
Interesting things related to the book, things related to the screenplay (that’s a big one), and other sorts of things and stuffs, too.

That was a great list.

Also for now, because it is still Fall and these are my days, a bit of rhyme: